Central Florida Real Estate Happenings - Alex Harb

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... a NEW listing near Dr. Phillips!!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:05:43 -0600

Here is a new property listing in central Florida
near the Dr. Phillips area! This central Florida real
estate deal just came on the market.

Here are some of the features:

Over 1600 square feet of living space
In ground, screened in pool
Lawn maintenance is included with your HOA
Cathedral / Vaulted Ceilings
Concrete block and stucco construction
2 car attached garage

Here are some pictures of this wonderful home:

To get FREE access to the Orlando and central Florida MLS to see current
residential homes AND commercial properties for sale, just click on this link!

This central Florida real estate current
listing for sale is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... How many homes are in the most popular price range?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:27:03 -0600

Seeing as the local central Florida real estate market
is heating up, I decided to make a list of the homes
that are in the MOST popular price range for central
Florida:

That price range is in the $200,000 ~~ $250,000 range. Houses in this price range are FLYING off the shelves in record numbers!!

The homes I have chosen have THESE FEATURES:

Block, stone, brick or stucco exteriors
They ALL have at least 2 bedrooms and two bathrooms.
They ALL include a dishwasher, stove, refridgerator, washer and dryer.
This list includes Single Family Homes, Townhouses, Condos and Villas.

There are, as of this posting, 3027 properties that fit this criteria. These properties are in Seminole, Orange, Osceola, and Polk Counties.

Seminole County is in northern central Florida and includes Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Heathrow, and a couple other cities.
Orange County is in the heart of central Florida and includes downtown Orlando, Metro West, Ocoee, Apopka, Maitland, Windermere, Dr. Phillips, Winter Park and several other cities.
Osceola County is in southern central Florida and includes Kissimmee, Buena Ventura Lakes, Celebration, Poinciana and St. Cloud.
Polk County is south of Osceola County and includes Poinciana, Davenport and other cities.

Just remember...these homes I have listed in
this report MIGHT be gone in a week or so!!!

To get FREE access to the Orlando and central Florida MLS to see current
residential homes AND commercial properties for sale, just click on this link!

This central Florida real estate
Market Report is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... wondering if things are happening in Orlando... heres some news!!

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:21:13 -0600

Here is a list of projects happening in downtown
Orlando, Florida!!

This is list if just in case you were wondering if
the commercial real estate market has dried
up because of the lack of loan money out there.

Hold onto your seat belts...the list is KINDA LONG!!

Camden Orange Court: Four-story apartment complex with office and retail space, 600 block of North Orange Avenue. Under construction.
Capital Plaza III: Condominium and office complex with hotel, retail and restaurant space, southeast corner of Rosalind Avenue and Pine Street. Not yet started.
Dynetech Center: 31-story apartment complex with office and retail space, corner of Magnolia Avenue and Washington Street. Will house the international headquarters of Dynetech Corp. Under construction.
East on Park: 14-story condominium complex. Not yet started.
The Jackson: Nine-story condominium complex, 521 E. Jackson St. Recently completed.
Luxparque: 18-story condominium complex, 31 units. Not yet started.
Magnolia Circle: 30-story condominium complex with ground-floor retail, 90 E. Livingston St. Not yet started.
The Monarch: 23-story residential condominium building with ground-floor retail. 300 E. Jackson St. Not yet started.
Paramount on Lake Eola: 16-story residential condominium complex with Publix supermarket and office space, 400 block of East Central Boulevard. Under construction.
The Plaza: 21- and 16-story office complex, 29-story condominium complex with retail space and a movie theater, 101 S. Orange Ave. Recently completed.
Presidential Tower: 41-story condominium complex with retail space on the first floor, between Garland, Gertrude, Jefferson and Washington streets. Not yet started.
The Sanctuary: 18-story condominium complex with office and retail space, 100 S. Eola Drive. Complete.
Star Tower: 18-story condominium complex with office and retail space, 421 E. Jackson St. Under construction.
Tradition Towers: Twin 39-story towers with condominiums, office and retail space, 150 E. Central Blvd. A connecting "sky bridge" will house University Club. Not yet started.
Verde: Twin 35-story apartment towers with retail space, southeast corner of Orange Avenue and Marks Street. Not yet started.
The Vue at Lake Eola: 35-story condominium and retail complex, 150 E. Robinson St. Under construction.
+1: 27-story, mixed-use complex with residential, retail and office space, 385 N. Orange Ave. Not yet started.
55 West: 34-story condominium and retail center within Church Street Market entertainment complex, 55 W. Church St. Under construction.
101 S. Eola Drive: Twin 12-story condominium complex on two corners of Church Street and Eola Drive. Phase one under construction.
205/215 E. Central Blvd.: 24-story residential hotel development with ground floor retail. Not yet started.
421 Eola: 421 E. Robinson St., seven-story residential building. Not yet started.
Montage: 101 Lake Avenue, 19-story apartment complex. Not yet started

You will see SOME projects in this list I have made some posts about before.... but for the most part most of these projects are NEW!! So, if you think there are no more commercial projects in the works in downtown Orlando, I just wanted you to know....

THE LIST IS LONG!!

To get FREE access to the Orlando and central Florida MLS to see current
residential homes AND commercial properties for sale, just click on this link!

This downtown Orlando Florida commercial
real estate Market Report
is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

List Source: Orlando Homebuyer Magazine

How can I help you.....How can I help YOU???? (A story from real life...)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:11:04 -0600

Have you EVER talked to a customer sevrice rep. for
a company before.......... ?

Of COURSE you have!

Have you ever spoken about real estate with an automobile customer service rep., pharmacy rep.,
cellphone rep. or bank teller as they were doing
THEIR job helping you?

(I ALWAYS make it a habit to try to weave in the subject of real estate with ANYONE I talk to.)

Today I was making a payment with my automobile company insurance carrier, Gieco. I needed to talk to a customer service rep. and after making small talk with
her wasn't I surprised when I found out this customer
service rep. lives less than one hour away from me
in central Florida and is ALMOST READY to purchase
a home!!!

I asked the usual pertinent questions:

Is your credit all cleaned up and are you ready to buy a home? (She said -- YES)
Do you have an agent to represent you? (She said -- NO)
Do you want my website address, cellphone number and e-mail address? (She said -- YES!)

This just goes to show you........

Talk about real estate everywhere you go....
things WILL HAPPEN!!!

God DOES WORK in mysterious ways, doesn't He??!!??

Alexander Harb ~~~ Founder of,
"Christianity and Real Estate"

Thanks to: kate131 and www.flickr.com for the
GREAT Gieco Caveman picture!!

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... Lake Nona Market Report for 11.28.2008

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:53:20 -0600

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Hello there!

Here is the Central Florida real estate Lake Nona
Market Report for the day after Thanksgiving 2008!

There are 44 homes for sale in the Lake Nona area, DOWN over 50% from my last report!
The high asking price is $7,695,000 ~~ basically the same price as my last report. This estate is FANTASTIC!! It features over 11,000 square feet of living space to start!
The low asking price in Lake Nona is $174,990 and the owner/builder will contribute $$$ to the closing costs for these fine townhomes..... REMEMBER, The Knights Team will ALSO rebate 1% of the executed contract price to any buyer who uses US for their representation in a new construction central Florida real estate transaction.
There are 8 properties in special circumstances: They include being Bank owned, Corporate owned, in pre-foreclosure, in foreclosure, owner will assist with closing costs or will finance mortgage, property has an assumable mortgage, sold as is, or is a fixer-upper. There are SOME GREAT DEALS OUT THERE!!

Lake Nona is known for its many amenities:

Lake Nona Town Center -- An open air mall that is 1,000,000 square feet of upscale retail shops, fashion boutiques, department stores, restaurants and a cineplex.
The 600 acre Lake Nona Science and Technology Park -- which includes the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Healthcare, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, University of Florida Reasearch Center, Orlando VA Medical Center, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center.
The four communities of Lake Nona: The Waters Edge -- With a boat dock boat storage and more, this community has homes starting at $298,000. North Lake Park -- Includes a YMCA and "A" Rated Elementary School all
under one roof. Village Walk -- This community won the 2007 Parade of
Homes Community Award. Quaint bridges to walk on connecting to the
town center, a fitness center, cafes, and more are why! Lake Nona Golf
and Country Club -- Featuring a Tom Fazio professionally acclaimed golf
course, this community has a fitness center and much, MUCH more!!

Extensive care has been taken to include walking trails all through out the community. Nature is NOT something to be pushed aside in lake Nona, but something to be celebrated!

Over 40 percent of Lake Nona is open space...which leaves You free to bike, ride horses, rollerblade, hike, jog, run or just observe nature in its unhurried setting.

Lake Nona has over 1000 acres of parks to enjoy family and freinds with. There are even two dog parks just for your four footed pets! There is an Aquatic Center and an Equestrian center....weather you want to swim or go for a brisk ride on a horse, Lake Nona has it all!!

To get FREE access to the Orlando and central Florida MLS to see current
homes for sale, just click on this link!

This Lake Nona Market Report
is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Golf course picture courtesy
of keithmuth and www.flikr.com!!

Christianity and Real Estate --- What our Group is like.... 11.27.2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:33:54 -0600

Here are a BUNCH of featured posts in "Christianity and
Real Estate" to help you see what our group is like:

We are caring
We are loving
We are sensitive
We seek to understand others and the world around us
We seek to be wise
We pray for each other
We encourage each other
We remind each other about our Lords soon return

Those are just a few of the reasons we have grown so much since we were formed on Jan 25th 2007.

There are so many NEW members that have joined the group it dazzles me!!

So without further ado, here are some of the best posts
so far from,"Christianity and Real Estate".

Give Thanks This Day...
11/27/2008 09:38 AM - (9 comments)

Simple Needs In Difficult Times
11/27/2008 07:53 AM - (3 comments)

God Still Performs Miracles and I Have One To Share!
11/26/2008 11:32 PM - (9 comments)

Be Thankful/ Prayer Request
11/25/2008 08:52 PM - (1 comments)

(Brenden Foster 1997-2008) Thank YOU for having the courage to CHANGE THE WORLD. Rest in peace brave, little man!
11/25/2008 06:25 PM - (66 comments)

A Baby...A Bear...and...A Thanksgiving Miracle!
11/24/2008 10:19 PM - (35 comments)

NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THIS SERIOUS MOMENT OF DOUBT!
11/24/2008 10:18 PM - (13 comments)

Christianity and Real Estate --- What is Gods purpose for us as Real Estate professionals?
11/24/2008 11:10 AM - (8 comments)

Life Interrupted - Update
11/21/2008 11:02 AM - (34 comments)

Prayer Request
11/18/2008 05:43 PM - (12 comments)

Baby Update - Thanks for your prayers!
11/18/2008 12:14 PM - (32 comments)

Please pray for my Father
11/18/2008 06:58 AM - (18 comments)

Promises from God for Times of Trouble
11/16/2008 09:53 PM - (36 comments)

Thank YOU for all of your prayers, we now know what is wrong with Gracelyn !
11/16/2008 07:46 AM - (24 comments)

Kenly, NC...The Day after a Devastating Tornado Strikes (Remembering 11 year-old Joshua Wiggins)
11/15/2008 06:09 PM - (12 comments)

Showing Up In Your Head
11/15/2008 03:25 PM - (10 comments)

ActiveRainers....I need a pick-me-up
11/13/2008 10:09 PM - (28 comments)

A Update to my AR family....Keep us in your PRAYERS
11/12/2008 12:05 PM - (31 comments)

A Christian Survival Guide For Our Nation...!!!
11/12/2008 10:16 AM - (31 comments)

It is not fair, it is not fair, it is not fair!
11/12/2008 08:34 AM - (12 comments)

Beware of False Idols!
11/12/2008 07:38 AM - (10 comments)

How do I overcome?
11/11/2008 10:53 AM - (4 comments)

Why I LOVE the POOR
11/10/2008 07:12 PM - (11 comments)

Here is to MORE GREAT posts from our membership!!!

Our Moderators:
* Elizabeth Nieves
* Don Draughn
* Andrew Trevino
* Jason Crouch
* Sara Washburn
* Brian Foxworth
* Loreena Yeo

Founder:
* Alexander Harb

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... Hunters Creek Market Report 11/27/2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:46:55 -0600

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Here is the Hunters Creek Market report for the Central Florida
Real Estate area as of 11/27/2008.

There are 167 properties offered for sale in the
Hunters Creek area, up one from my last months
report.
The high asking price is $689,000 which is DOWN
$30,000 from the high asking price of $719,000
last month!
The low asking price is $161,405... DOWN from last
months low asking price of $170,050.... prices are
coming DOWN lower and LOWER!!
There are 73 properties in special circumstances:
Bank owned, pre-foreclosure, in foreclosure, Corporate
owned, sold as is, seller will assist with closing costs
or seller might finance mortgage. That is UP a WHOPPING
65% from last month!

You can see the results of this market swing in lower prices on
my latest central Florida real estate market report.

Buyers are snapping up GREAT property deals all over central
Florida and Hunters Creek is NO exception.

Hunters Creek is right on the border of Orange and Osceola Counties,
convieniently located near Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and
downtown Orlando. Routes 528, and 417 are just a minute or so away,
so you can get ANYWHERE in central Florida FAST!

This is a community that prides itself on excellence and professionalism,
from the landscaped medians with palm trees and flowers, to the types of
businesses in the area:

Target Retail Super Center
Publix Grocery store
The Loop and The Loop West with all upscale retailers
Numerous casual and some fine dining restaurants

Hunter Creek schools are consistently ranked at or near the
top of the scoring system for Florida schools. You know your
children will be getting a GREAT education when they attend
schools in the Hunters Creek area.

This post about Hunters Creek real estate
for sale is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... Baldwin Park Market Report as of 11/27/2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:45:41 -0600

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Here is the Baldwin Park market report as of 11/27/2008.

There are 153 properties available in the Baldwin Park
market area....DOWN from 170 properties last month!
The high asking price is $5,244,000, which is the same
price for the exact same georgeous 7300 square foot
estate home as last month.
The low asking price is $176,900 a WHOPPING DROP of
$78,000 from the previous low of $255,000!!!
There are 28 homes in special circumstances: These
include being bank owned, in foreclosure, in pre-foreclosure,
having an assumable mortgage, the owner will consider
financing, the owner will pay closing costs, sold as-is, or
the property is a fixer upper.

Baldwin Park has come a LONG way from when it was
a military installation. When the base was closed down in
1999, investors took over and the result is QUITE a transformation!

Downtown Orlando is just 2 minutes away and the Orlando
International Airport is 8 miles away. You will spend MINUTES,
not a half an hour or more driving to go dancing, shopping, out
to a picnic, the ballet or an Orlando Magic basketball game. There
is easy access to highway Interstate 4, Route 408 or Route 417
to get you anywhere you want to travel.

The Baldwin Park Community Network provides owners access to a
business directory, resident directory, calendar of Property Owners
Association events and parties, developer updates, club information,
current neighborhood news, classifieds, a photo gallery plus links to
recreation, shopping and others areas of interest.

Clubs in Baldwin Park currently include a Maj Jong & Canasta Club,
Sand Volleyball Team, Aviation Club, Book Club, Walking Club and more.
All clubs and organizations are sponsored by residents.

There are four major parks and recreational facilities in Baldwin Park:

Cady Way Trail is a very well-known jogging and bike trail in central Florida that has over 50 miles of walking paths with benches and tranquil rest areas alongs its route.
Blue Jacket Park, a 55-acre City of Orlando park, sports lighted baseball fields and concession stand, a track and field complex,tennis courts, picnic areas with covered pavilions, two children's playgrounds, basketball courts, a great lawn for soccer and field games, fountain plaza and grand stairs. Reservations are made through the City.
Enders Park is a recreation center for residents only that offers a state-of-the-art fitness room, a community gathering room, large pool and kiddie pool, playground and much, much more. Swimming lessons and fitness classes such as Pilates and yoga are available. This facility is access-controlled.
Grace Hopper Hall is another beautiful residents-only recreational
facility that offers many of the same features as Enders Park. Grace
Hopper Hall is access-controlled and also home to the Property Owners
Association office.

Not only are the community features excellent, but so are the schools!

The Winter Park High School campus borders Baldwin Park.
Audubon Park Elementary School is now located within the neighborhood.
Glenridge Middle School borders Blue Jacket Park and is just a short walk for many residents.
Excellent private schools are nearby, as are esteemed Rollins College in Winter Park and the University of Central Florida.

Here are some recent news articles and press releases about Baldwin Park:

This Baldwin Park Community information
and market update is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Christianity and Real Estate --- What is Gods purpose for us as Real Estate professionals?

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:10:54 -0600

I have listened over the years to MANY sermons:

God wants us to PROSPER (be financially and materially abundant)
God wants us to have a comfortable life (security in our finances, etc.)
God wants us to have a pleasurable circle of friends (people that are
like us and have the same lifestyle, etc.)
God is NOT the author of calamity in our lives (He does NOT
give us the "whammy")

Plus other such principles I have had Ministers try to convince me of. Every time I start to hear a sermon like one of those above or a message in the same idea as the ones above, the words always seem to leave me wanting something MORE.

In my life as a Christian, I have come to learn
some things which are VERY important:

God WILL LET calamity happen in our lives to
help us develop or help OTHERS SEE Jesus' character in us.
God is NOT as concerned with us being RICH
materially or financially as being RICH in Jesus
character and in Gods Spirit.
God will LET difficult people into our lives to
TEST us and help us develop ways of dealing
with such people as Jesus would, not the way
we might want to......

As a real estate professional, I have seen MANY people who are in differing circumstances:

A woman who WANTS to by a home, but CAN'T because the agent she is working with is trying to take advantage of her through the loan officer who is charging high fees to get the customers credit fixed, but she can't fire the agent because she has an illegal bank account the agent knows about, and the agent will rat her out if she tries to separate from her.
A person who WANTS to sell a home she was left with by other investors who "jumped ship" when the amount to re-hab and flip the house she has the note and deed on went too high. She now is upside down in her situation and will LOOSE a PILE of money if she sells the home.
A real estate professional who hears of another real estate professional who is going through a REALLY HARD time and helps out with out even asking for re-payment.
An agent, loan officer or other person in our profession who is taken advantage of and DOES NOT retaliated, but instead prays for the other person.

One of the books I read in my devotional time every day along with the bible is "The Purpose Driven Life" and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! It gives practical, biblical principles for living the Christian life .... NOT the sweet, sugar filled principles other Ministers preach that make self absorbed, immature believers out of converts. If you think God wants Heaven filled with self absorbed, immature Children of God who want nothing more than to be catered to and to have every whim fulfilled, then your concept of God is way, WAY off.

Our Creator wants people in his Kingdom who are like His Son, our Messiah.

Who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped (He did NOT think of Himself as 'a god',
but as Gods son) Phil. 2:6
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Phil 2:3

When we live like Jesus does, our LIVES are MORE fulfilling than we could EVER think possible!

"Do unto others as You would want done unto YOU."

If you were hurting in your life, would you want help....then help others who hurt.
If you were rejoicing about a great thing that happened in your life, would you want OTHERS to rejoice with you? Then rejoice with people when good things happen to them.
Do you want friends in your life? Then be friendly to others.

Life is pretty simple in some ways... hehehehe....

Our Moderators:
* Elizabeth Nieves
* Don Draughn
* Andrew Trevino
* Jason Crouch
* Sara Washburn
* Brian Foxworth
* Loreena Yeo

Founder:
* Alexander Harb

I am trying to get my Palm 700w flashed to Metro PCS....... I hope it works!!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:58:24 -0600

I have decided to switch over to Metro PCS because they will
give me unlimited long distance, web, texting, etc for $50.00 per month.

I have found an E-Bay retailer that MIGHT be able to flash my Palm 700w!!

I have written him an e-mail asking if he knows whether this will work.

I am hoping against hope!!!

Has anyone else done this with a Verizon Palm 700w?

Let me know, ok?

I HOPE I can do this!!!

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... 2 months of GREAT THINGS happening in the market!!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:05:18 -0600

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For the last two months, the central Florida real estate
market has been SMOKING!!

Sales in Osceola County jumped 47.26% in
October 2008 compared to October 2007
Last month, the comparison increase was
a whopping 77.38% for Osceola County.
Throughout the entire central Florida area,
Orlando Regional Realtor® Association
members were involved in the sale of 10%
more homes in October of this year than
in October 2007: 1,199 to 1,090.
Here is ANOTHER AWESOME FACT ==> Median
sales prices of homes sold in October declined
by over 24% to $178,000 when compared with
October 2007's $235,000 median price.
The number of pending sales, considered to
be a reliable predicator of future sales activity,
continued its upward trend to 3,316 transactions.
There are over 72% more homes under contract
this month than compared to October last year
(1,923), and those expected closings are
anticipated to continue shortening the current
year-to-date sales gap of -16% by years end.
There are currently 24,657 homes available for
purchase through the Orlando Florida area MLS.
Inventory decreased by 33 homes from October.
Compared to last year, the October 2008 inventory level is over 6% lower than it was in October 2007 (26,330).
Altogether, inventory months-of-supply has declined a WHOPPING 65% since January 2008.
Sales of existing homes within the central Florida real estate market (Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties) in October were up by over 15% when compared to October 2007.

So, what does all this GOOD news mean?

Decreasing prices of homes on the market!
Increasing sales from people buying GREAT deals!
Lower inventory of homes for sale in the central Florida area.
Lower time to sell for homes just coming on the market.

You put it together....to me it means it is TIME
to purchase a central Florida home!

This post about the central Florida real estate
market and its trends is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Christianity and Real Estate --- The Birthday present God gave me!!!

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:36:35 -0600

WOW!! Talk about God letting me know He loves me!!

On the day after my birthday I got a call from the
HouseValues Director of sales.

If you do NOT know who HouseValues is, they have
a 2.5 million dollar stake in ActiveRain and they are
a company that offers marketing solutions to real
estate agents for a monthly fee.

Three years ago I had leased 1 and a half zipcodes
from them to the tune of $750.00 per month. They
advertise on TV, radio, the Internet and in newspapers.

The plan is simple; they advertise YOU (the Leese of
the zipcodes they provide) will let the person (YOUR
potential customer) who calls or writes in via online
forms they fill out, their homes Comparative Market
Value.

YOU then have a potential customers complete contact
information, PLUS the owners home address. This was a
WONDERFUL concept.

EXCEPT:

People would NOT give correct phone numbers
People would e-mail in "Mickey Mouse" as the
persons name.
85-95% of people that contacted HV (YOU) just
wanted to know they bought a good home and
it had increased in value from when they bought
it 1-3 years ago.

The 5-15% of the total amount of "contacts" were people
who were REALLY wanting to sell their homes .... they were
the ones I was after.

After a while I had a database of over 450 people in my
1 and a half zipcodes and I knew things would happen
eventually...to me it was a numbers game. HV had a
GREAT drip e-mail system, plus a fantastic contact
management system.

After I had turned my 1st sale through HV, I KNEW this
would work for me. I kept at it.......... 20-50 phone calls
every night...... MANY CMAs sent every week. I felt I was
NOW a marketing MACHINE and eventually things would
turn out ok, even though I had put in approximately $7500.00
over the course of a year.

THEN the hurricanes came through Florida... over a 2-3
month period of time...... ALL 3 of them hit right near where
I lived.... Home Insurance was not issued 3 times for periods
of 2-4 weeks at a time..... real estate came to a stand still for
almost 5 months.

After I missed one of my monthly payments, a sales Rep.
called from HV and asked if I had my payment and I told him,
"Nope, I am thinking of quitting HV." It just had not made
enough money and I could NOT see how I was going to be
able to get the money for the next and current payment.

The sales rep. arm twisted me into staying with HV for another
month, despite the fact that I could have quit right then and
there on the phone without any problems... I had fulfilled
my contractual obligation prior to that and could have quit
any time. He did not tell me my obligation was up and I
could have quit right then and saved the money, he made
me THINK I could stay on and they would,"Work something
out" with me if things went sour for the next month.

Well, things did NOT go well the next month and I got a
wonderful phone call from my HV Sales Rep. demanding
nearly $1000 or they would have to shut down my database
and then put my account into collections. I asked him, what
about the "Working something out?" you told me about?

"You did not pay for half of last month and now you owe us
for this month in addition" he said.

I WAS FLOORED............ I couldn't pay it.

I also was VERY upset that this Sales Rep had roped me
into this AND THEN gone back on his word. I said,"Ok, do
what you have to..." and hung up.

All the marketing pieces I had bought: all the flyers,
door-hangers, file booklet covers etc. were thrown into
the trash. My hard earned "HouseValues Certified
Professional" Pin was thrown into the trash also.... All
the time and effort I put into this company and the
marketing system I so enthusiastically endorsed to
other prospective agents they talked to at all the
seminars they had in the central Florida area was now
a bitter memory that I had to swallow.

Fast forward to the day after my birthday, last
week.......

It has been about 3 years and I did not lift a finger
to pay the outstanding balance I had with HouseValues, because I felt they did not deserve it. The way I was treated I felt I owed THEM a call from a lawyer, but I just did NOT have the gumption to do it.

I am walking around in a local mall in the Orlando
area and my cellphone rings.

"Hello, this is ______ _______ from HouseValues,
can I speak to Alex Harb?"I immediately reply:

"I know I put those comments on those
posts about how I was
treated, but that is how I feel and
I am sorry you probably read
them, but from my perspective that
is how I felt I was treated."

This Representative from HouseValues states:

"That is what I want to talk to
you about...... You see, I feel
we did NOT treat you the way
you should have been treated
during a natural disaster like
what happened in Florida.... I
looked into your file and we
did NOT try to work with you to
help you though that tough time."

I am still waiting for the sales
pitch....... and I am VERY skeptical.

"The HouseValues Rep. continues:

"We have cancelled your outstanding
balance with our company."

And he is quiet....... for about
2 seconds you could have
heard a pin drop around
me...I am in AWE!!!

I start to blabber......

"You have no idea what that is
going to do for my credit score...
Thank you, THANK YOU...thank
you so much for doing this!!!"

I tell him, " I am going to let EVERYONE KNOW
what you just did and I will look into
HouseValues if the agents
testing it say it is a good system.

Well, here I am, testifying that I am now a believer in HouseValues
again.... and I am impressed they did this!!

THAT WAS GODS BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO ME!!

"Wait patiently on the Lord...He will deliver you..." Old Testament

Alex Harb -- Founder of:
"Christianity and Real Estate"

A BIG THANK YOU TO: Sara Mu , Konstantin Sutyagin ,
Thomas Hawk and www.flickr.com for the GREAT pictures!!

Central Florida Real Estate Happenings..... Guess who these people are and YOU might get POINTS!!!

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:10:17 -0600

THESE people got their pics taken with my stinky
camera on my Palm Treo700w.... at the NAR
ActiveRain Gathering at the Hard Rock Cafe in
Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida!!

Now, mind you, this camera at one time WAS a
nice camera... BUT I bought it used....

(I FORGOT to bring my NICE 2 megapixel camera with me....pphhtttt!!! IT HAD A FLASH WITH IT, the Palm 700w DOESN'T .... AARRGGGggggg!!!)

SO...if YOU can tell ME who all of these people
are in my pictures....

and I MIGHT be able to wiggle some BONUS POINTS
out of the ActiveRain constituency....

Here they are.... may the FIRST ONE to get ALL the
names to the pictures WIN!!!

Some of these people I have been DYING to meet,
just because of their professionalism and upbeat
way of communicating!

Some of them I have talked to on the phone and
we have had some really nice conversations!

Some of these people I highly respect and look
up to, just because I see in THEM character that
is born from adversity and a positive, overcoming
attitude.

Some of them I have JUST recently met and I did
NOT know them in the almost TWO YEARS I was in ActiveRain, even though I had heard of them and knew they were MOVERS and SHAKERS within the network.

When you see some of these pictures, you will
know faces right off the bat, BUT SOME of them
you will have to SEARCH for.... hehehehe....

I HOPE THIS is a nice break in your day as you
SEARCH OUT who EVERY SINGLE ONE of these people
are!

How many of these faces ARE there??? Well, You
will find out as you scroll on DOWN to the end of
this post....hehehehe.... SOME of these people I met
in the line to the bartender.... OMGoodness...ALEX, YOU were at the bar??!!??

YES....getting a PEPSI..... (I do not drink alcohol out of choice...NOT conviction or because of my religious views...)

Well, SOME of these faces MIGHT be HARD to
SEARCH for.... BUT... FIND EVERY ONE OF THEM...
and YOU MIGHT GET SOME BONUS POINTS!!

Some of the people I met wanted to MEET ME...OMGoodness!! I was FLOORED by how NICE
these people were.

ActiveRain has GREAT people in it.... I guess
that is why I have stayed around so long....
hehehehe.......

Some of the people here LOOK ALMOST JUST LIKE THE PICTURES they have on their profiles...... WOW...talk about BEING REAL!!!

I LOVE it when I do NOT have to wade through a BUNCH of PLASTIC to see a persons character or their heart.

Some of the members of ActiveRain I took
pictures of I met QUITE a while back
when I FIRST became a MEMBER!!

Talk about COOL!!! The way some of the
members shook my hand and talked to me,
you would have thought we KNEW each other....

(WE DO...every time we COMMENT back
and forth on blogs we get to know each
other more and more!!)

My goodness, SOME members were agents I wanted to meet so I could let them know THEY lived closer to areas I want to serve than I did....so I could let them know I would send the customers I get in their neck of the woods to THEM!!

ActiveRain helped me CONFIRM the GOOD nature of certain members through this gathering.... so I can now FEEL GOOD sending my customers to them!!

Is ActiveRain AWESOME...or WHAT??!!??

Some people here just touched my life in a BIG way a LONG time ago.... (I even BLOGGED about some of
them before...)

These people are near and dear to me.... and I am
NOT ashamed to admit it!!

I am SO GLAD I am in ActiveRain..... GREAT things
have happened to me since I joined up!!

Some things are just UNIVERSAL... like being human.... and having struggles in life... and needing OTHERS to be there to answer questions you may have.

I FOR ONE am GLAD other members of ActiveRain are there to answer MY questions when I have them....

So, the next time someone asks YOU,

"Why are you in ActiveRain....?"

You can answer them, "Because they are there for me when I NEED them!"

REMEMBER...guess EVERY SINGLE picture
CORRECTLY and you MIGHT WIN BONUS POINTS!!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Christianity and Real Estate --- What problems do... They HELP us GLORIFY GOD!!

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:54:08 -0600

Here I am again to give you the ending of my
"ordeal" with my cars starter, which gave out on
me before I began my trip to work at Perkins
Restaurant and Bakery last week.

You can read what happened in the beginning of my "ordeal" at this link:

Christianity and Real Estate --- What do PROBLEMS do...THEY HELP US!!

After everything that happened as reported in the
above mentioned post, I got home with my new
starter for the car and later that day I proceeded
to remove the old starter and install the new one.

A year earlier I had another new starter put into
the car, but unbeknown to me, the fuel filter was
partially clogged and giving the starter more trouble
than it needed to start the car. As the cars starting
got harder and harder (more than a second or two
of cranking to start) I just figured the cars engine
was getting old, since I was giving it periodic oil
changes.

The car was now 20 years old at this point and
had achieved the venerable standing of "Antique". The car was now worth 3 TIMES what I paid for it, which was a reason to thank the Lord!!

Now, when the first starter had been put into the car,the church choir member who did it tightened those bolts a LOT!! As I put the ratchet wrench onto the first bolt holding the old starter onto the car, I remembered how much the brother had strained to tighten those bolts and I prayed I had the strength to loosen those bolts.

The Lord spoke to me while I was under the car........

"Do NOT worry about getting this part to your car
changed, I will provide a way to make it happen,
and you will GLORIFY ME in the doing of it."

I sighed after straining on the bolt....... it did NOT budge an inch......

The Lord reminded me.....

"Did I not tell you this part
to the car would be taken care of ? "

I reminded myself that our Creator does NOT
speak WITHOUT following through with what
He says is going to happen. What He says
He will do, He PREFORMS! THAT is our Lords
REPUTATION to us and to the WHOLE WORLD.

I fought with myself for a while...and proceeded
to get a phone number to a mechanic my landlord
knows, but I did NOT know him and the Lord was
guiding me to ask people at work to see if someone
would do this loosening of the bolts and change
out the starter, since I obviously could NOT unloosen
those bolts my church choir brother tightened a
year ago.

Using my room mates car, I went to work
after having my car in the garage sitting for 2 days.

I talked to everyone at work I saw about what had
happened and why I was not at work the last time
I was scheduled to be there.

I spoke to our busboy/dishwasher about this also.

He said, "I can do it..I can change out your starter
for you."

Now, this man is a Christian and we have fun talking
about things while we are at work. I NOW know why
the Lord caused this to happen:

This man has done a LOT of work for people -- fixing
cars, etc. and has been taken advantage of by a
LOT of people. I will NOT be one of those people.

I want the Lord to let this man know I am NOT like
others by treating him with RESPECT and appreciating
him for what he has done for me. Of course actions
speak louder than words!!

I find I have to wait another 2 days for him to come
over to my house and get that starter taken care of.

NOW it has been 4 days since my car has been sitting
in the garage...almost like Lazarus' 4 days in the tomb!

After guiding my buddy by cellphone as he drove to
the home where I live, together we got the old starter
out and the new one installed.

While I had a couple of days off from work I helped
my landlord purchase a new (used) dryer for the one
that died while my car sat in the garage..... WHAT
timing, hmm? AND I made out a legally binding
document for my landlord that stated if anything
was wrong with the dryer, it could be given back to
the old owner and my landlord could get the money back for it.

I then installed the power cord to the dryer for my
landlord...apparently the old owner sold this dryer
because one of the power cord wires plastic holding
parts was broken and his wife did not want the wire to
touch any other wires and spark a fire...so my
landlord got a GREAT Whirlpool dryer for a song!

The old owner had told us his wife was VERY happy with their new washer and dryer, so I surmised that is why he was selling them, hehehehe....

I simply used electrical tape to insulate the loose wire so it would be SAFE to use for us!

The landlord is interested in doing business with me
in the future...can you see why?

Put this all together and GOD got
the glory for this whole "ordeal" !!

("ALL things work TOGETHER for
GOOD to those who LOVE God and
ARE CALLED according to HIS purposes")

Is God AWESOME or what??

YOU BET HE IS!!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Founder of "Christianity and Real Estate"